


Little Feet and Cobalt Souls

by ShadowCr0w



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Baby Beau, Beau is adopted by Dairon, Dairon as a parent, Eventual Cobalt Ruby, F/F, Fluff, Other, Sort of modern?, They've adopted Beau, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCr0w/pseuds/ShadowCr0w
Summary: When the Cobalt Soul finds itself in the possession of an infant in need of a home, Expositor Dairon is the only one able to get near enough with the child screaming and becomes the de facto guardian. Mischief and found family feels follow.Or, the author likes giving Beau better parents
Relationships: Dairon & Beauregard Lionett, Dairon/Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea
Comments: 69
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was completely inspired by the Cobalt Ruby server, I love y'all <3
> 
> (Thank you to my friends, Saint and @lexa_lives_in_us for help with the summary!)

Dairon squinted as they stepped outside of their lodging in Nicodranas, briefly bringing their hand up to shield their eyes from the overwhelming sunshine that seemed to illuminate them as soon as they were in sight. Luckily, they had sunglasses to shield their eyes from the worst of it and they readily put them on, a little sigh of relief following as they could finally see. 

A small babbling from their chest reminded them that they did have a reason for leaving towards the markets today. Their charge, a small child named Beauregard that had been found by the Reserve and then thrust into their care when Dairon was the only one the child didn’t scream around, was due for a checkup by one of the local physicians in town. “At least you aren’t facing the sun.” Dairon mused with a chuckle that was far too fond for their liking and got a tiny gurgle from Beauregard who was safely swaddled in a sling, pressed against their chest and happily laid her head over where Dairon’s heart was beating. 

Really, why the Reserve trusted them with a child was beyond any realm of reason but, it wasn’t so bad thus far. Beauregard liked attention and she was an active baby, making it easy for Dairon to stay active by helping her move around and exercise. She was even, just the tiniest bits, adorable that it made them feel a pang of affection for the curious baby. They shook their head, reminding themselves this was a temporary situation but nevertheless, resettled Beauregard more snugly then headed out into the heart of Nicodranas

**“** This is the market. It operates at this time every morning, the people here catch their own fish or grow their own crops to sell.” Dairon told Beauregard who opened her eyes, glanced around and looked up at them like she trusted them with her entire being. Not a thing they were used to, not in the slightest. 

A little noise answered her.

“Yes, it is a good business.” They talked to Beauregard as if she were an adult who had opinions. She’d read enough after being trusted with her young charge that it helped a child’s developmental skills. 

Another babble.

“I agree.” Then a squeal. “The apple vendor is not to be trusted.” 

They did stop by someone selling pastries and purchased a bran muffin for herself, not stopping long enough to let the vendor coo over their “child.” Dairon didn’t even argue but they knew, in their heart, that this was a temporary solution.

Beauregard was not meant to stay with them. As soon as the Cobalt Soul found a suitable living arrangement for her, then Dairon would pass her over and focus all of their energy on setting up the new branch of the monastery that was in the early stages on the edges of Nicodranas. 

No, Beauregard was never meant to be theirs and they had to ignore the small pang that tugged at the inside of their chest and continue forth to the physician’s office.

The child managed to sleep a little while longer while Dairon checked in with the receptionist. They enjoyed the peace while it lasted, aware that when Beauregard was awake that she’d want to examine everything within her vicinity. That was an upside to this situation, at least the child wasn’t hard to entertain and she was more than willing to learn what things were which couldn’t be said of most of the people Dairon had mentored in their years as an expositor.

Her ears caught Beauregard’s name being called and they followed the physician away from prying eyes, getting caught up on what the baby needed to grow up healthy and her chart from Kamorddah was  _ horrifyingly _ slim, meaning they needed to give her most of her booster shots just in case. 

Dairon refrained from snarling at the thought of those abusers that had been taken into custody the same night that Beauregard had been surrendered to the monks posted in her home town. At least she was safe without having to worry about those people hurting her or ruining her childhood due to negligence. Still, they couldn’t help but worry about Beauregard’s lot in life after everything settled and she had a proper home, even after her time with them.

But that was for later, right now they had to do something to give Beauregard a better chance for her adult life. Compared to what she’s already been through, a few standard vaccines shouldn’t be a big deal, right? 

Dairon thought their initiation into the Cobalt Soul had been painful. Years upon years of honing their body to the standards of the High Curators and the Expositors who guided her throughout her life. Capture by enemy forces that had tried to break them, been near death enough times that they were feared by many of their fellow monks within the organization and had become somewhat of a legend. They hadn’t wanted any of it but accepted that people couldn’t  _ always _ be controlled and her reputation could even be useful.

They hadn’t expected how painful it would be to hear their young charge wailing after getting a few immunizations. Beauregard was nigh inconsolable after being given her shots and was hiding in Dairon’s arms, her tiny fists balled up and clenching to their shirt as the physician apologized before leaving to give them a moment to calm the baby down. The first thing that came to mind was rubbing her little back, getting Beauregard to focus on her instead of the lingering pain from the pricking of the needles. 

It worked. Wide, tear filled blue eyes focused on their face, small hiccoughs escaping her body as Beauregard reached upwards and grabbed at the sides of their face. Dairon allowed themself a moment of weakness and gently pressed their forehead against Beauregard’s, “You are alright. It was painful, but you will feel that it made you stronger. I promise.” They attempted to soothe her with words, somehow, someway it worked as Beauregard’s eyes closed and she snuggled into their neck, still a little weepy but a lot calmer than she had been a few moments ago. 

Pride swelled in Dairon’s chest, an unfamiliar feeling but one they found that they could get accustomed to given time.

After Beauregard cheered up and the sun had been covered by a few stray clouds, they headed towards the market, stopping occasionally to satiate the child’s need to touch things. At one point, there had been a dog that ran up to them, something Beauregard took absolute delight in when Dairon knelt down to let her pet the wandering black labrador with a silly grin on his face. He had a collar on so presumably he was someone’s pet and the owner wasn’t far behind, so Dairon allowed this for a moment then gently pulled away, hushing Beauregard when she complained. “Do not worry, I’m sure you will see more animals before the day is over.”

That settled her and they moved on.

At one point, Dairon bartered for some soft bread from one of the local bakeries, getting a lower price than what was stated due to Beauregard apparently charming the baker with her babbling and drooling. They shrugged, if it worked, then who was she to judge? All she could do was tear up a little of the bread for Beauregard to chew on. A disgusting act to watch even if they tenderly cleaned up the baby’s face after she was happily digesting her treat.

“Ah, yes. Utterly charming. Baby drool.” Dairon chuckled to themself, wondering if they’d finally lost it after who knows how long of being calm and collected. However, no matter the drool, it could have all been worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairon gets the news that a permanent family has been found for Beauregard and they should be happy for her.
> 
> But she's not.

The news that the Cobalt Soul had found a proper home for their young charge shouldn’t have hit them as hard as it did. Dairon always knew that the arrangement for them to take care of Beauregard was temporary but as months went by, they’d settled into a routine with the baby. 

“It’s with a lovely family outside of Nicodranas, a few hours away a few cities over. They are known to taken in many young children abandoned by their families, young Beauregard should be plenty safe, and loved, there.” One of the scholars at the table told them during a visit to their abode with an Expositor and an Archivist alike, different rankings sent from Rexxentrum in order to properly convey the message that Beauregard would be moving on from them soon.

“Plus, it is a good place for us to keep an eye on her without her being surrounded by so many unsavory individuals.”

A knot formed in the pit of their stomach and the child seemed to sense it, the now seven month old turning towards them with tears in her eyes and sniffling. There was no way she could properly understand what was happening, it was already a miracle that she hadn’t started screaming the moment the monks had entered the home. 

“I see. Thank you.” Dairon said, keeping their voice flat and cordial as they stood up to guide the others out of her home. “I will wait for further news then?”

“Exactly. We are going to check on the progress at the Monastery here, so should you find a proper babysitter for the child, you may join us.” They didn’t like the way that implied that Beauregard was a burden because believe it or not, she  _ wasn’t _ . The child was curious and sharp, wanting to digest the world around her in her excitable way that was far too endearing. 

It seemed that Dairon was the only one who could see the potential in Beauregard. 

“There are others there who can guide you around. I will stay here with  _ Beauregard- _ ” They stressed her name since none of them could be bothered with saying it, only calling her child or fate-touched- “and make sure nothing happens to her before you finish arrangements with this family.” Luckily for the small group, they didn’t touch on the fact that they were treading on eggshells now given the venom in Dairon’s voice and left without much more of a fuss.

Once they were sure they were gone, Dairon was able to stop glaring at the spot where they disappeared into the horizon and shut the door to be able to turn to a sniffling Beauregard. “You’re right, I don’t like the Rexxentrum monks either.” Their joke was horrible and no doubt fell flat on young ears but it got a smile from the child in their arms, so that was something. 

Dairon took Beauregard to the otherside of the house so they could go out the back and bask in the sunshine for a bit before breakfast time, knowing that their charge didn't like to eat before a certain time and she was always happier after having been able to be outside for a few peaceful moments. "One day." They started quietly, watching as Beauregard's eyes shifted from the nearby shoreline to their face. "You will learn many things, names of the stars, phases of the moon…" It was standard within the Empire and from what they knew, the Menagerie Coast wasn't too different. 

But for some reason, thinking about Beauregard growing up without them made them feel that horribly funny feeling inside of their chest again.

Instead of dwelling on it, they chose to enjoy the cool sea breeze on their skin while Beauregard leaned her head over the spot where their heart was beating, closing her eyes and drifted off for a few precious moments. 

  
  


After lunch, they did have to head to the Archive to see how the transfer of tomes and rare items specific to the Menagerie was going. She easily strapped Beauregard into a harness on her chest, the movement almost second nature now as she worked carefully as to not send the baby into a state of panic. It was far from the first time they'd done this but due to the news they received this morning, it could be closing in on one of the last ones.

Beauregard gurgled at seeing people when Dairon left the house, slowly warming up to the idea that not everything was out to get her. It was something they could relate too honestly. 

"Yes, there are people." They mused, wondering how insane they must look to passersby because they weren't known for their friendliness nor being talkative, yet they could frequently be seen holding conversations with the baby that was  _ always _ strapped to their torso.

If you asked them, Beauregard was a much better conversationalist than most people around them.

The walk to the Archive was uneventful and the tour of how things were going was even more so. When they settled down for paperwork (something they tried to avoid doing but such is their fate) with Beauregard on their lap and trying to eat their pen, they noticed a small stuffed animal on their desk. It was a lion toy with a blue bow tie wrapped around its neck, a cute thing they supposed but why were they given a children's toy?

Beauregard reaching for it with an insistent whine made them realize, oh, right, children love toys. 

Dairon wordlessly helped her reach it, a smile crossing their face when Beauregard wrapped her arms around it and squeezed it tight with a happy giggle. Well, it would keep her busy at least and Dairon almost felt some disappointment that she no longer had a distraction from the horrible amount of paperwork they still had. 

And when  _ that _ was done, it was well past sundown and Beauregard was getting cranky from staying in one place for too long without the comforts of home. She even threw another tantrum that Dairon let her scream for a moment, getting her feelings out before shoving aside everything on their desk to settle Beauregard on top of it. "I know the feeling. You will learn to control those emotions, in time but for now, I say we deserve to forget about this and go get dinner." Their calm voice seemed to be a balm to Beauregard's anger and she settled down, still clutching the lion in her hands. 

Dairon held Beauregard to them again, briefly pressing their cheek against the soft hair on the top of her head that was getting longer and longer as the days passed. "Hm." They hummed, chuckling as Beauregard hummed back and nuzzled into their neck. "We will talk to the requisitions specialist before we leave." 

No, wait. They couldn't do that, they didn't  _ need _ anything to keep Beauregard occupied during days at the Cobalt Soul because she wouldn't be  _ staying _ with Dairon. She'd be off to a wonderful family who could give her all the love, toys and freedom she could desire and Dairon would be… 

Alone.

  
  


The day came for Beauregard to be turned over to her new family, a wonderful family named the Stones and according to the monks, they were an eclectic family of misfits so Beauregard shouldn’t feel out of place. No matter what any of them said, Dairon didn’t seem to believe them but nevertheless, they packed up what few of Beauregard’s belongings there were and personally set out to the home that was a few hours away.

Along the journey, Beauregard was relatively quiet, instead of crying like she’d been doing most of the day before, she chose to look at the new scenery with a quiet wonder that caused that feeling to come back inside of Dairon’s chest. Of course they knew what love was, they’d been in love once before but this felt different, it felt like love, for sure, just not the kind that she knew before so long ago.

Dairon stopped once to let Beauregard stretch outside of her seat and to see some ducks that were waddling by, a few of the babies even coming over to peck at her little hands curiously. She squeaked and retracted her hands quickly, looking up at Dairon with confusion and some fear but they just stretched out their own hand and held out some of the rice they’d pulled from their pack. The ducks pecked greedily at it but not hurting them in any way, the movement emboldening Beauregard again to touch soft downy feathers with a little gasp at how soft they were. 

“You cannot take one with you.” Dairon chuckled after the ducklings wandered off towards watchful parents. It probably wasn’t a smart idea to feed wild animals but if this was to be some of their last moments with the child, then they were going to make sure Beauregard had  _ good _ memories to take with her.

If she remembered any of them at all.

At the Stone home, Dairon placed Beauregard down near a few of the older children and she immediately crawled towards a lanky half-orc boy who was close to eight or nine if they had to guess. He looked surprised when her hands touched his knee but he gave her a little nervous smile, his tusks poking out more so and she looked delighted by it.

“Well, at least she’ll have a friend.” Dairon muttered to themself and went to meet the two adults of the home, an elven woman and a half-goliath woman too who greeted them warmly. 

“She’ll be taken good care of here, we assume you’re the one who’s been taking care of Beau?”

Dairon hesitated and nodded. “Yes. I have her things here, it is not much since our arrangement was never supposed to be permanent.” They couldn’t bring themself to move too fast but they disguised it was being careful and casually walking with the women to get Beauregard’s stuff. “But I do have a few things, she’s picky about how she eats her vegetables. She likes them in different sizes, mostly cubes.” Dairon absentmindedly said, grabbing one of Beauregard’s suitcases with a small pang in their chest at seeing the lion on it. 

“Okay-”

“And she cannot sleep unless she has her stuffed lion, I tried to convince her it wasn’t a good idea but she’s a little irrational.” The fondness in their voice made the two women behind her pause, not that she noticed. “She doesn’t eat until she’s seen the sunrise, I’d advise for her to have a room that faces where she can see it. Also, she doesn’t like most red fish but will eat clams and shrimp, I had been working on getting her to eat white fish but it was, ah, met with mixed results.” They weren’t aware that they were rambling now as they put the two suitcases on the ground and reached further back with shaky hands to get Beau’s stuffed lion that they had mentioned.

They should not have become so attached, they should  _ not  _ have agreed to this in the first place because now their heart was shattering at seeing a stupid toy for the last time. 

“I’m going to give this to her and leave, it’s…” They cleared their throat, unable to look the two women in the face. “Best I don’t linger. She is likely to get upset when she realizes that I’m not staying.” Dairon turned and saw Beauregard had already crawled back near her, the half orc boy watching until he flushed a deeper green at seeing that Dairon had caught onto him. 

They knelt down and was greeted with a bright smile and Beauregard bypassed the lion in Dairon’s hands to touch their face, babbling about whatever it was she wanted to tell them. 

For a brief moment, everything was as it always was with the child seeking contact and Dairon, the same Expositor who had only properly known violence and training for decades now, allowed themself to shed a tear at leaving this little life behind. “Be a good girl now, okay Beau?” They murmured so softly that it was only for the two of them before they removed Beauregard’s hands from their face and left the lion with her. 

Beauregard immediately started crying and trying to crawl after Dairon who was resolutely walking away with tears in their own eyes. They trusted the Stone family to get her before she got too far after Dairon, so they didn’t look back, lest they run back and scoop Beauregard into their arms to hide away from whatever came next.

“Wait!” The half-goliath woman said, picking up a screaming Beauregard and brought her over to a now frozen in place Dairon. “Here, she needs you. Ah-” she looked back to her wife who smiled and nodded- “Perhaps the Cobalt Soul didn’t realize that she already had family, nor did you realize that you are her family.”

Dairon took Beauregard back into their arms, the wailing immediately dying down and they felt a strong sense of relief wash over them. “I’m sorry. I know you all were excited to take her in.” Beauregard clutched Dairon tightly, burying her face in their neck and sniffling now that all she could feel was their warmth.

There was laughter. “Oh, we’ll see her again I’m sure. She seemed quite taken with our boy, Fjord over there.” A brief point to the young half-orc let Dairon know who that was and they chuckled, just a little wetly. 

There were a lot of emotions running through them but none of it seemed to matter with Beauregard a solid weight in their arms and they closed their eyes for a moment, just feeling their young child breathe against their body while the cool ocean breeze of the Menagerie Coast washed over them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family fluff and a little slice of life with Dairon and their daughter

A small noise distracted Dairon from meditating, something related to her child who was sitting on her rear end not too far from them and making frustrated noises. She couldn't talk yet, probably just as well because they were certain her first words would be something crass since Dairon often forgot to watch their language when around Beauregard. She was looking at the low end table, contemplating something or as much as a one year old could contemplate anything, then over at Dairon with a look that was determined before reaching out chubby hands and gripping the edge of the end table. 

Dairon wasn't aware they were holding their breath as Beauregard pulled herself up on shaky legs, still determined to get over to Dairon. She cautiously took one step forward, almost stumbling and then took another one when she found that she was still upright. Beauregard slowly, but surely, made her way closer and closer to Dairon on wobbly legs and with the most serious look on her face. 

They hadn't even known someone so adorable could look so fierce.

Beauregard stumbled and fell after five total steps, not all the way to Dairon and she looked surprised that she had gotten that far. Of course, there were a few tears about falling but she crawled the rest of the way to her parent then into Dairon's lap where she got a warm hand on her back and a little proud grin from the elven monk above them. She made a happy gurgling noise and leaned into their stomach, pleased with herself.

"Don't force yourself to walk too fast, you must be patient." Dairon tried to teach their young charge a lesson but as they looked into vacant eyes that had no interest in their words, they knew it fell on deafened ears. Ah, perhaps Beauregard would be more agreeable to their teachings after she's had her lunch. "Hm, very well. Are you hungry then?" They offered with a slight sneaking suspicion that she was paying attention but was getting sassy about  _ what _ she paid attention to.

They got their answer when Beauregard tuned back in with another happy babble. 

Dairon merely shook their head in response, standing up with Beauregard still in their arms and carried her daughter to the kitchen. "You are certainly a handful." They said with nothing but a disgusting amount of affection in their tone. Even if they had never planned to be in Nicodranas to help set up an archive with a child glued to their hip, it still wasn't the worst situation they'd found themself in. If they weren't careful, they would admit, very quietly and only to Beauregard's little face that they loved doing this. 

Ignoring anything resembling feelings, they opened the fridge in their kitchen and contemplated what soft food she could feed Beauregard today. They made a small humming noise, startling themselves with their comfort and then even more confused when Beauregard mimicked her.

Dairon looked at her, getting a wide baby grin in response. She chuckled and closed the fridge to put Beauregard in her chair and tie a bib loosely around her neck, something themed that a fellow Expositor had gifted them before running away out of fear. It was a solid blue one with the symbol of the Cobalt Soul sewn on it and it was her daughter’s favorite one, aside from the green one that had a little lion on it. 

Appropriate, given that Beauregard was a Lionett once.

Their child babbled again, seemingly trying to get words out when Dairon pulled away to start the oven in order to roast a few veggies. “Yes, I intend to feed you a little squash.” Beauregard whined and Dairon raised an eyebrow at her, it was unlike her to get fussy at mealtime, always wolfing down her bottle or soft solids with gusto. “Beauregard, please, do not throw a tantrum.” They put their hands on their hips, fixing their daughter with a stern stare.

Beauregard whimpered and slumped in her high chair. 

“Well, we do have carrots if you would prefer.” Dairon pulled a small bundle of whole carrots out to show Beauregard who perked up a bit at the different offering. “Very well, I do insist you try the squash again but there is an alternative.” Her daughter seemed to agree, bouncing in her high chair happily as Dairon shook her head and turned back to prepping lunch for the two of them. 

They glanced back at Beauregard again while in the middle of putting the baking sheet into the oven, pleased that this was going well so far as the one year old was happily bopping her head along to the music on the radio.

Then came actual feeding time. Diced veggies and a soft grain were Beauregard’s favorite thing to eat but apparently, she decided that she was old enough to try and feed herself and didn’t let Dairon help her. Except, she wasn’t very coordinated as of yet and got her lunch all over her face, only serving to amuse them as she tried very hard with only the utmost of concentrated looks on her face. 

“I see today is bath day.” They shook their head, focusing on their own meal while keeping an eye on their daughter who was sort of successfully feeding herself now but decided it was for the best anyways.

Just in case.

Bath time went off without a hitch, Beauregard content to sit in her little bath filled with baby soap and play with her few bath toys that Dairon hadn’t been able to resist getting her during the rare time they had to themself nowadays. 

They remained suspicious however as they enjoyed the calm. Beauregard was a sassy child, always seeking out some sort of attention but the fact that she’d been calm today for the most part was alarming in of itself. Dairon knew damn well that lunch had gone off without a hitch and it was not what usually happened, it usually took a little more to persuade Beauregard to eat vegetables she hadn’t tried even with the help of her favorite.

When would it all go  _ wrong? _

That night was the answer. Beauregard refused to be put down to sleep, instead crying upright in her crib and wailing for Dairon to come pick her up. Nothing they tried seemed to be working as her daughter’s tears seemed to come heavier and faster than whatever meek soothing they could offer. 

In an effort to keep Beauregard somewhat calm, they took her to the living room, wincing as she pushed against their chest to try and get down. It didn’t hurt them physically but something twisted inside of their heart, hurting them emotionally at the thought that their daughter suddenly did not want anything to do with them. “Okay.” They didn’t recognize their voice, a little raw and upset as they put Beauregard down on her play mat she liked but stayed there, sobbing and looking at Dairon like they were the cause of it.

They carefully backed up, not leaving Beauregard per se but giving her a little space as they put their head in their hands to stave off the headache that was forming from what felt like tears that hadn’t been shed yet. Dairon sat on the floor with their back pressed against the base of the couch just out of reach of their daughter.

What had this child done to them? Made them soft and domestic enough that a bad tantrum made them fall into a ball of tears. If her teachers could see her, they’d call her weak and pathetic but was it really such a weakness to love something so fiercely that you’d give everything to protect it?

Dairon mentally swore at that old rule that had been ingrained in them for over a hundred years, vowing to relearn some of their old ways in order to properly raise this child that had gripped onto their heart with a tiny, iron grasp.

So consumed by their thoughts, they almost didn’t notice Beauregard’s cries dying down or the way she slowly got onto her own two feet and almost glacially toddled over towards where Dairon was. They looked up to catch the last few steps before hands were placed on their knee and a chubby hand touched their cheek. All they could do was look at her in shock, not even caring how they must look to the very concerned child in front of her. 

A small, “Da?” escaped Beauregard’s mouth, unmistakably her first word and it was  _ Dairon’s name _ that left her. 

They swaddled her up into a hug, holding her close to their chest while Beauregard wrapped her arms around Dairon’s neck, muttering “da da da” over and over again as they let themself weep tears of joy. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairon and Beau go see some animals, Fjord gets harrassed by an otter and two tieflings come into play, oh my!

Another morning came without much fanfare, Dairon wasn’t scheduled to be back at the Cobalt Soul until three days from then so she could celebrate a year since Beauregard had come into her care and they moved properly to Nicodranas.

“Da!” Beauregard patted at the table to get their attention, whining when they didn’t give it immediately. 

“Hold on one moment, please Beauregard.” They patiently repeated themself when their daughter whined again, more insistently this time. “Patience. I will be over as soon as our breakfast is ready.” This time no sad noises met her ears and she finished up the pancakes she’d made for herself, turned off the stove and picked up their plates to head over to the table where Beauregard was now squirming in her chair, trying to be patient but she was only almost two so Dairon forgave her for her impatience.

They watched, amused as Beauregard immediately grabbed at their pancake that was in the shape of a lion as that was one of the only ways she’d eat it. Dairon had gotten good at the art rather quickly, surprisingly so that even they were impressed with it but they knew by now that they’d do anything for their child. Even make pancake art and watch her eat it from the ears first with a little playful growl. 

“A mighty huntress then.” They said dryly, their sarcasm flying over young Beauregard’s head but she still giggled because Dairon was smiling so why shouldn’t she? If only the whole world could go by a baby’s logic, then perhaps there wouldn’t be so much evil in it. 

The rest of breakfast went by in relative silence, Beauregard wasn’t much of a talker when she wanted to stuff her face full of food, only slowing down enough so she could breathe. Again, rather disgusting to watch but nothing that they weren’t used to not. “Really?” They chuckled and used a napkin to wipe at Beauregard’s face, poking her nose to get a giggle when their child seemed to not want her face cleaned. “Ah, there you are, now we can talk properly.”

“Da?”

“Yes?”

Beauregard held up her lion that she still clung to, babbling a little before she found the words of, “Is a lion.” 

“Yes, it is. They tend to live in the wilds in savannah like terrain. It is a misconception that they’re the Kings of the Jungle.” Dairon explained, getting peppered with questions by their child in order for her to understand more about her favorite animal. They only knew so much because whenever documentaries would come on that had lions in them, the young girl would be transfixed by the big cats until Dairon had to cover her eyes when something unsavory came up. 

There weren’t a lot of child friendly ways to teach a child about animals except for-

“What do you say we go out today?” Dairon asked Beauregard, standing up to take their breakfast plates away. 

“Out?” She asked, perking up in her seat with a little smile. “See the lions?” Beauregard asked hopefully.

“There is a place where we can see some and learn about them safely, there is a… zoo not too far outside the city. From what I know, the Stones are the ones who run the place and they help bring awareness to certain species.” Another barrage of questions followed in Beauregard’s patented baby talk mixed with actual words that was improving more and more as the days went by. 

Dairon was thrilled with her development, eager to start teaching her how to read so that she could accompany them to the archives and start learning more history. Perhaps, if Beauregard were interested, they could teach her how to fight one day and perhaps guide her along the same path they’re on. Only if she seemed to show an aptitude for it, even if she weren’t their daughter, Dairon knew well enough that not every child or new inductee into the organization was fit for proper combat nor the true monk skills that predated her by thousands of years. 

Still, one day they would get to share more of themself with their daughter by the ways of their interests and perhaps even see what kind of things Beauregard would fall in love with.

  
  


Of course once they were admitted into the zoo, Dairon saw Fjord and one of his older brothers trying to feed a few river otters. His brother was doing well, Fjord, however, kept getting slapped by the little animals enough that he had to effectively be shooed out so as to not be abused anymore by the furry little creatures. 

“You don't seem to be having fun there.” They got his attention, knowing that if Beauregard saw him first, then there would be no stopping her from wanting to go see her new best friend. 

He grimaced. “They don’t  _ like  _ me.” Fjord whined a little but perked up at seeing Beauregard who lunged for him with a happy squeal of  _ ‘Ord!  _ and then was scooped up into scrawny arms. Dairon had seen him wash his hands of fish slime before they allowed him to hold her. “Ah! Beau!” He cheered and spun her around, causing her to giggle at the silliness of the half-orc. 

Dairon watched them for a moment, just to make sure he didn’t drop her daughter who was getting heavier as she got older and he wasn’t exactly  _ strong _ … Hm, that was a thought, perhaps his parents would allow her to train him a little, at the very least for self defense, especially if he wished to travel to certain places that weren’t friendly to people like him. 

They sighed, the two children were so young yet they had long lives ahead of them that would be filled with several fights along the way. The least Dairon could do was help give them proper tools in order to make it easier, at least somewhat. 

“Dairon?” Fjord got their attention, looking sheepish for having to get their attention. “Um, I have to go and do something to help out for a few more hours.” Beauregard didn’t seem to like the idea but he was quick to add on, “Maybe after I’m done? I could, uh, come back if you’re still here?”

“I believe we could arrange that if it is alright with your parents.” 

He nodded eagerly, his tusks a little too large for his face right now and it made it comical due to the awkward proportions. “They will! I’ll ask though, they like you!” 

It wasn’t hard to see why. Dairon was one of the best to keep a child protected when they were in her care and the Stones had seen how they took care of Beauregard so it wasn’t like the women couldn’t trust her. “Very well, run along now.” They said after they took their daughter back into their arms with a little grunt. One day they wouldn’t be able to hold her like this, but for now, they’d enjoy the time they had with her before she got too big and too fast for Dairon to keep up.

“Bye-Bye!” Beauregard waved at him as he gave her a goofy grin then ran off to do whatever it was that he had to do next. She leaned her head onto Dairon’s chest and murmured, “Lions now?” 

They pressed their face to the top of her head, chuckling again and they moved on towards where they could see the big cats that Beauregard so dearly loved. If they were a monk who placed bets, they would wager that when their child was older, she’d get a lion tattoo to commemorate her love of them  _ if  _ she still held the same obsession. 

As predicted, Beauregard was absolutely transfixed by the lions, especially when one came closer to the edge of its pen and flopped down in front of the guests watching them. She squealed, clapping her hands and kept saying, “big kitty!” over and over again to some of the other people’s amusement around them, including Dairon’s own. 

“Yes, they are big cats.” Dairon grinned, just a bit when Beauregard was standing on their hip almost to try and get a better look. “Hold on-” They shifted her so now she was sitting on her shoulders, just a bit higher up as Dairon wasn’t  _ too _ terribly tall, but it was a lot better and a lot safer than all the squirming she’d been doing. 

“Tall!” was the cheer from above their head and the two of them stood there, watching the lions move around, even a few groomed each other in their line of sight which delighted Beauregard far too much. “Clean!” 

“Yes, they are cleaning each other. It is also a bonding activity!” She read from the pamphlet in their free hand, not bothering at trying to show her what they were reading as Beauregard’s hands just held onto the top of their bald head and she watched. 

It took an hour before Dairon could convince her to go to another habitat, making them regret  _ starting _ with the lions because that’s all Beauregard was going to be focused on for the next few hours. “No!” She whined, trying to lean back towards the big cats. 

“We’ll come back before we go home.” They promised. There was a little bit of a standoff as Beauregard was almost unrelenting in her desire to watch the lions so she had to think fast in order to actually be able to  _ move _ from their spot. “We’ll come back and I can show you another fascinating animal?”

That caught her attention. “Big?”

Dairon had to think of a predator that would be big and fascinating enough for Beauregard and they were pretty sure there were sharks at least in the water habitat. “Let me tell you about sharks, I do promise we’ll come back. Perhaps with Fjord?” Thankfully, that seemed to soothe her kid and the two of them could move on to other things after a quick snack and juice break, as well as for Dairon to reapply sunscreen to Beauregard’s exposed skin. 

The sharks were a hit with Beauregard and she was back to being excited. It wasn’t as strong as a fascination but that just meant they could finally move through the other habitats and see more animals. Dairon even suffered through small talk in order to let Beauregard get some face paint from a happy looking dragonborn who was extremely delicate with her child’s face, promising that it was alright for a child’s skin. Something about it being enchanted against skin allergens, Dairon wasn’t sure about it but they went with it, promising to break his hand if it wasn’t. 

That seemed to shut him up after and Beauregard giggled in her lap.

Closer to the end of the time that Fjord promised he’d be back, Dairon sequestered them away in the quietest spot underneath shade where the two of them could relax and Beauregard could recover from all the stimulation she received today. “Did you have fun?” They asked softly even if they were sure that Beauregard couldn’t hear them over the sound of their heartbeat under her ear and the way Dairon covered the other one with their hand. A soft nod answered them and that was good enough for her.

Fjord joined them bringing fish shaped cakes filled with red bean paste, splitting one between him and Beauregard in silence while Dairon had one to themself. It was a wonderful little moment and the treat was good, helping to fill themself up before they had to accept a call from their boss at the monastery. They weren’t happy about it but at least her daughter had someone to keep her calm/entertained once she’d recovered from all the new things she experienced today.

When their call was over, they weren’t expecting a plethora of giggles to be coming from Beauregard, nor were they expecting to turn around and see a little blue tiefling, about six years old with tiger face paint on her face, making silly looks at her child and Fjord seemingly looking at a loss at what to do. “Again!” Beauregard clapped her hands and the other girl made a thoughtful noise, humming before contorting her face in such a way that got another squeal.

“Excuse me.” Dairon was at a loss now too, where had this child come from? Where was her guardian? 

“Jester! Jester Lavorre!” was her answer to who the child was as a silly expression turned into a sheepish one and the girl- Jester turned towards a woman running over, a red tiefling panting in a way that indicated she was definitely chasing after a rogue child. “Please, darling- I’ve told you not to run off like that.” 

“Sorry mama, but I made friends!” Jester perked up, pointing at Fjord and Beauregard. “This is Fjord and this is Beau! She’s little, mama!” She practically radiated sprinkles and sugar, almost giving Dairon a toothache from how sweet she was but such was the way of little children, perhaps just this one in particular. 

“I see- Ah, are you Beau’s… parent?” The woman asked Dairon after checking over Jester, even pausing to coo over Beauregard who was eager to meet the new person which meant that she would be a more permanent staple in their life after today. They nodded dumbly, taken aback by all the events that seemed to be happening in rapid succession. A slim hand stretched out towards her, taking their own into a grasp that was firm and betrayed hidden strength that honestly surprised her. “Marion Lavorre and you are…?”

“Dairon.” They said simply, shaking the woman’s hand while the kids started up another round of chaos nearby.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairon is called away on business and she leaves Beau with Marion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short little chapter after a small time skip, some bonding between Beau, Marion, Fjord and Jester!

_ “I apologize for showing up at your front door so late, but I was just called away for an emergency mission and I cannot take Beauregard with me. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t believe that you would take care of her, so please, can you watch over my daughter?” Even if she and Dairon had only been friends for a few months at this rate, even if they’d only had a few times where they could hang out together and let their daughters play with each other, Marion knew she would have done anything to help them out. _

_ “Of course, go do what you need to do. I’ll take good care of Beau, I promise.” Marion had never been on the receiving end of that look before, one filled with relief and such a deep, sincere sense of gratitude that it soaked into her very being as Dairon passed Beau over.  _

_ They didn’t immediately run off, stopping to take a moment and tell Beau that they’d be back, they promised they weren’t going to abandon her but they had to do something. Of course, Beau didn’t like that, she didn’t like that her parent was leaving and started wailing as Dairon had to leave. With their back turned, Marion missed the grief stricken look on the elf’s face as she ran off into the night to get where she needed to be.  _

All that had led up to now, Marion rocking Beau softly in the middle of the foyer to her overly lavish home, singing ever so quietly as to try and calm the little girl’s nerves. “It is alright, Dairon will be back. She promised and I may not know her as well as you do, but I don’t believe she’ll break it.” It felt odd speaking to a baby as if she were an adult but it’s what Dairon did and it seemed to have a calming effect on Beau, settling back down into little whimpers. “I know, you do not like when they’re gone.”

Beau wiped at her face haphazardly and said, “I want da.”

“I know. I am sorry they aren’t here right now.” Marion’s heart squeezed when Beau’s lip wobbled and her eyes welled up with tears again. “You can cry if you need to, I’ll be here for you.” And Beau did, crying her little heart out against Marion’s chest, causing the older woman to seriously debate referencing Dairon to a therapist to take Beau to so they could work on her separation anxiety. 

That would have to wait until later and so Marion stood there, rubbing Beau’s back as the child clung to her.

When she finally settled down and promptly passed out from the emotional rollercoaster that had been that entire night, Marion was able to retreat back upstairs and set Beau’s things in her daughter’s room. Jester was awake, probably from all the crying that had been happening and she almost immediately flew over at seeing Beau, a concerned look on her tiny face. “Mama? Is Beau okay?” She tried standing on her tiptoes to look at Beau but was still just a little too short to properly see.

Marion sighed and knelt down, her heart swelling with pride as Jester placed a very gentle kiss on top of Beau’s head. “Dairon had to go somewhere where they couldn’t take Beau and she misses her da is all.” She said honestly, never one to mince her words where Jester was concerned. “So we have to help her through her sad and then help her be happy, think we can do that?”

Jester rapidly agreed, even asking if she could sleep in Marion’s bed for the night to help Beau feel less sad.

  
  


In the morning, Beau was still glum but not as outraged as she’d been the day before and she asked for Dairon again. Marion gave her the same answer, patiently and as kindly as she could while they went outside to watch the sunrise before breakfast. “What would you like to eat this morning? My Jester suggested pancakes.” 

Beau perked up a little. “Lion shape?” She asked and Marion vaguely remembered the passing bit of information that Dairon had given her that Beau only liked her pancakes in one shape, otherwise she wouldn’t eat them. 

“I don’t know if we can, but why don’t we try it out? The four of us?” Fjord had come over to visit a few days prior, staying for a couple of weeks while he helped work some of the docks in Nicodranas for sailing experience and to just be near the friends he’d started making on his own. Beau agreed and they moved on downstairs. 

As it turns out, Marion was  _ horrible _ at pancake art but Jester wasn’t, she actually made a decent shape while Marion took the liberty of flipping and plating everything. She was very grateful that Jester had gotten some artistic abilities that would help her keep Beau calm while she was busy poking at Fjord’s little tusks, utterly fascinated by them. 

“Fjord, darling, you can tell her to stop.” Marion peeked over at them and saw him giving Beau a big grin, making his tusks poke out more and she clapped excitedly, telling him they were cool. Instead of interfering anymore, she left it be because she knew that this would do nothing but to help boost his confidence levels, especially since he’d confessed to thinking of trimming them after some… of the unsavory sort picking on him. “Or not.” She chuckled and turned back to Jester who was scrutinizing Beau’s plate of pancakes before dumping a handful of sprinkles into the rest of the batter before Marion could stop her. 

Well, at least it would be colorful.

Breakfast went off without too much of a hitch after that and since Marion didn’t have to worry about any clients for the next little while, she was eager to spend time with the children. Her daughter was pestering Fjord about his family and such, wanting to know about his jobs and things like that. While he looked a little overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, he answered whatever she wanted to know with a bit of a grimace at certain questions. 

Meanwhile, Beau had slumped back against Marion’s chest, playing with her sapphire necklace and listening to her heart beating. “Are you alright, dear?” She asked softly, so as to not disturb Beau too much. 

“Miss da.” but she snuggled a little further in, her eyes closed then a little content sigh that took Marion’s breath away as she hadn’t been expecting Beau to become comfortable with her so fast. “Love you though?” Beau’s bright blue eyes opened and trained on Marion’s face with a hopeful look. 

She chuckled, apparently Beau loved easy which was utterly surprising. Unless she was a fantastic judge of character and decided that three of them were in her small circle of trust. “I love you too, little one. Jester does too.”

“Yeah!” Jester popped up into Beau’s line of sight with a sharp grin that didn’t make the toddler uncomfortable at all. “Love you, Beau!” Then she turned to tell Fjord that she loved him too, making him blush a deep green before he responded shyly, accepting a sudden armful of blue tiefling as Jester launched herself at him for a hug. 

  
  


Dairon came home after two weeks, looking worse for wear and as if she’d run all the way there from wherever she’d been once returning to Nicodranas. They were drenched from the downpour outside, breathing heavily and searching the foyer for wherever Beau was.    
  


“Da! Da!” Beau slipped away from where she’d been coloring with Jester and Fjord, toddling quickly over to them and unheeding the fact that they looked  _ rough _ , she launched herself into their arms with a happy laugh. “You’re back!”

They pressed a kiss to Beau’s temple, sighing in relief at seeing her in one piece, not that they doubted Marion, they’d just worried about all the things that could have happened when they weren’t there to protect her from. Dairon knew that Beau would need a bath afterwards, she already did just due to the grime from running over from the monastery after being debriefed on how the mission went. “Yes, I’m sorry I had to leave.” They apologized, closing their eyes to enjoy being home with their daughter and just taking in her existence.

Beau wrapped her arms around Dairon’s neck, giggling ecstatically at being in their arms again. “I forgive you. I love you!” Her freedom of love was definitely a new thing but they far from minded, in fact when they were rested, they would have to figure out how to repay Marion for her kindness and general hospitality. 

“And I, you, Beauregard.” Dairon said, still kneeling in the foyer of Marion’s home without a care in the world for the time being.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairon has a way to thank Marion for taking care of Beau while they had to take care of Cobalt Soul business. They go on a date and Marion is delighted pretty much the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off: I'm sorry for how long this took, I had some rough times at the end of December and the beginning of January  
> Second off: Enjoy!

“It’s alright, I’ll make sure the children are behaved.” Bluud tried to placate both Marion and Dairon but they were both a bit antsy leaving their daughters (and Fjord) behind while they went out and had fun. “Girls! Your parents are getting ready to leave for a few hours, say goodbye?”

Jester came careening out from wherever she’d been hiding and attacked Marion’s legs, hugging them tightly and wishing for her to have fun where she was going. “And! Bring me back a pastry, please?” Jester’s eyes widened and her lower lip wobbled as she pulled out her best puppy dog expression to beg Marion for something.

Marion’s laughter was sweet and gentle as she cupped Jester’s face. “Not tonight, my little sapphire. However, be good for Bluud and I’m sure we can get something tomorrow.” Jester pouted for a moment before she agreed, reaching up to kiss Marion’s cheek. 

Beau was a little harder to convince. She sat on her butt in front of Dairon, hands planted between her knees as she looked up at her guardian with a saddened expression. Dairon sat down in front of her, opening her arms to let Beau crawl into them and snuggle against their front briefly. “We will not be gone long, if I’m not back before you go to bed, I promise to come and wake you so you can see that I am home. Plus, you will have Leonard to help you sleep.” Leonard was the official name for Beau’s little lion stuffy, whom Beau called Leo but Dairon called Leonard, further amusing the people around them. 

“Promise?” Beau held out her tiny pinky finger, no doubt picking up the habit from Jester and Dairon linked their pinky with Beau’s anyways.

“The value of a pinky promise is nothing, you know that right?” They were amused but secretly pleased with Beau’s eye roll that they dragged out of their toddler. “I promise, my word is true, my child.” That got a grin this time and Beau placed a messy kiss on their cheek, Dairon making a show of wiping it away before setting her down near Jester and hopping up to reclaim their place next to Marion.

“Alright girls, be good for Bluud, don’t tease Fjord too much, he does have to go to the docks in the morning.” Marion waved one last goodbye at the two of them before following Dairon out the door to their intended destination for the night’s date.

Honestly, she’d been shocked when Dairon mentioned getting dinner without the kids, just the two of them at a cozy little place that wasn’t too far away just in case but ultimately, she was absolutely pleased with the idea. Jester had seen her agonize over what to wear, how fancy or casual she should be and then how she fretted over hair, makeup, trying to think what Dairon might like best. It was all worth it when Dairon almost tripped over their feet at seeing her, not too formal but definitely more presentable than their typical lunch dates with three kids under ten.

Dairon didn’t look half bad either. Gone were her standard Cobalt Soul robes and they actually wore something with sleeves, dark blue slacks and a blueish-aquamarine button down that tucked into it. It was reminiscent of the organization their life was pledged to, but nicer and they definitely cut a nice figure in it. 

Marion twined her arm with Dairon’s, the elf stiffening for a moment before relaxing with a curious look at her. “It’s a lovely night out, isn’t it?” was what Marion chose to break the silence with, almost kicking herself for not choosing something better. What kind of date would Dairon think this was if she started off with lame topics like _that_?

Except, Dairon chuckled. “Indeed, it’s nice to be able to get out without worrying about my safety-” For the most part was unspoken, Marion knew Dairon too well by now to understand she was always on the lookout for danger even when it seemed like she was completely at ease. “-or how Beauregard is handling things. Thank you for recommending that therapist when I came back, it’s… helped.”

She couldn’t help the bright grin on her face and she squeezed Dairon’s forearm with her other hand, “My pleasure, darling.” Marion winked and she hoped that that was a faint flush to their face when she did that, furthering her confidence that she was just as much wanted as she wanted Dairon too. 

After that abysmal start, conversation seemed to flow a little more naturally. Dairon talked about her duties at the Cobalt Soul and how they were impacted by the added weight of parenthood and how, surprisingly, that didn’t diminish their role within the organization. “I am surprised, really. More often than not, the Soul does not work well for those who are part of a family so to speak.”

“I can imagine. Is it really dangerous missions and exciting adventures all the time, then?”

“Not quite, that is usually reserved for certain members of the organization, such as myself. It’s a lot of training, a lot of studying and venturing out to find information from other libraries. I do the more dangerous things, something I’ve been content with for decades now.” Dairon sighed, pausing to scratch the back of their neck, a nervous tell that they _never_ showed in public, which just concerned Marion. “I worry about Beauregard, what will happen to her if something happens to _me_.”

That was easy enough, Marion didn’t even hesitate, “I will take her in of course, raise her with my Jester. They’ve already claimed each other as sisters so I swear to you, if anything should happen, I will see to it that she’s taken care of.” Just like magic, the stress vanished from their shoulders and they looked up at her with the barest of smiles and squeezed her arm tightly as a silent thank you lest they do something embarrassing like cry in public.

After that, the date seemed to progress easily enough. They enjoyed a simple meal, one that Dairon refused to let Marion pay for no matter how much she tried to persuade Dairon to let _her_ do it. “Nonsense, I’m the one who invited you out. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t pay for dinner?” They inquired, genuinely confused which was a delightful change of pace from the last person Marion tried to date. 

“I wish everyone shared your sentiments, darling.” Marion sighed, grimacing at the thought of Jester’s father and the last person she had genuinely trusted. He hadn’t been bad, just… overly stingy with his own money and when he left, leaving Marion to raise Jester alone, she hadn’t missed him too bad to really notice the difference. “Really, thank you. I can get it next time?”

Dairon grinned at her, an honest to gods grinned that made Marion’s heart flutter inside of her chest. “Next time? I like that idea.” She took Marion’s hand boldly, causing another flip then tugged her away from the small diner they had taken residence in and out back into the cool air. “We’ll have to see if Bluud survived the chaos first before we decide on going out to dinner again.” 

Marion laughed at that. She trusted him with all of her being but the mix of her daughter, young Beauregard and Fjord were bound to be a handful for the poor minotaur. “He’s survived this long in my employment, I think he can handle the children for a few hours.” 

“Unless Jester and Fjord make something explode again, then it will take _hours_ to calm Beauregard down.”

“That was my mistake, I genuinely did not think that children could make something explode like that.”

Dairon chuckled this time at the memory of what their children did, funny now that they didn’t have to calm distressed kids now. “Indeed, I believe Jester is going to grow up to be quite the trickster.”   
  
“Exandria’s greatest of course.” Mairon agreed, smiling at the thought of what her daughter would be life when she was fully grown up. Fjord and Beau would likely stick to her like glue, the three already having formed an almost inseparable bond which had started with Beau making Fjord her friend then Jester made them both her friend. “Jokes aside, I can’t wait to see what the three of them get into.”

“That we can agree on.” She finished the conversation by tugging Marion towards a carnival that seemed to have all sorts of games, surprisingly her. “This looks like something you would like.” Ah, of course Dairon would do it for her and again, her heart swelled with affection for the elf who immediately let her take the lead once they got closer, contenting themselves with doing whatever she wanted to do. 

Except for the game based on strength, Dairon won it three times over in order to buy three different stuffed animals for the kids waiting for them back at home. A narwhal for Fjord, a fluffy sea otter for Jester and a shark that was far too big for Beau to be able to use as anything other than a body pillow. Marion couldn’t help the amount of giggles that slipped through her lips at the sight of Dairon haggling someone to watch the toys for them while they kept wandering around the carnival. “Honestly, you could have waited until we were heading home to try and win those.”

“Then they might not have been there later." Dairon reasoned simply and they left it at that.

Marion got her turn to impress Dairon with a dart throw. It had been… many, many years since she herself travelled around with an adventuring party, one that never grew in fame but they’d done some good in their years. She’d been sweet on their ranger and the two of them had practiced together, Marion learning how to hit things at with pinpoint accuracy and Marion teaching her how to enchant someone with words. A skill that still benefited her today, both skills really especially since she won a silly little trinket for Dairon to wear around their neck. 

It pleased her to be able to clasp it behind their neck, gently dragging her fingertips across their skin and getting a shiver out of Dairon. Not often were they flustered and she was _delighted_ by being able to drag that reaction out of the not quite so stoic elf. Briefly, ever so briefly, she entertained the thought of placing a small kiss onto the spot above the clasp of the necklace but decided against it, just so as to not embarrass her date in public.

For now.

They didn’t linger too much longer, the night winding down finally and they were both exhausted, Marion covered in glitter from a glitter bomb and delighting in how beautiful she looked when sparkling now under the lights. Dairon had gotten distracted once when she had acted silly, dancing and spinning around to some music playing and walked into a railing. Marion’s ego inflated just a little, especially after tonight, after being able to spend time with someone who looked at her like she was the single most important person in the world and being genuine about it had done wonders for her. 

Unfortunately, they were in public and while Dairon went to collect the children’s stuffed prizes, she had attracted an unwanted suitor. She had tried to be polite about it, at first at least until he kept trying to press the issue so she set him in his place, grabbing the hand that tried to touch her and almost breaking it with the force of her grip. “I’ve been polite enough, leave me alone before you walk away without this hand.” She was sure her eyes were glinting, belaying the power she still held inside of her even if it had been years since she actually used any magic. 

He scurried away with a bruised ego and his hand pretty much broken, making Marion sigh at how her wonderful date night had ended. She wasn’t going to let him ruin it, no, she was going to find Dairon and walk home with them to see what their chaotic trio had gotten up to in their absence. 

Only, she turned around and found Dairon gawking at her with comically large stuffed animals in their grasp and dare she say it, a little drool on the corner of their lip. Marion took the shark from Dairon, sharing a grin with them and a wink before sauntering forward, daring them to catch her before she went too far.

They did easily. “Where did you learn that?” Dairon asked as they started the walk home, pressing as tight as the two of them could while the moon graced them with its beauty. 

“Now, I have to keep some secrets, don’t I?” Marion teased, flirting with her tail a little on the exposed skin of Dairon’s midriff. People’s attention made her nervous at times but when she was the center of Dairon’s undivided attention like she was now, it only made her feel like she was floating on air instead of putting on a performance like she always was for her guests. 

Dairon was different, refreshing. They were honest and stoic at points but oh so gentle with baby Beau, patient and studious with Fjord as they started teaching him basic self defense and they really did have the patience of a saint when it came to entertaining Jester’s tricks. Their singular focus when studying or researching with books from the Soul in her home had taken her breath away, the intensity and the determination there were unparalleled. 

She couldn’t wait to see more of what Dairon brought to the table.

Their arrival at the Chateau had been quiet until Beau and Jester tackled them, Fjord following closely behind but a little more awkwardly and gifting them a little tusky grin. Marion dragged him into the hug, making sure he got the stuffed toy Dairon won him at the carnival and they were rewarded by a bigger grin before they shooed the kids to bed, making sure Jester and Beau actually tucked in, snuggled together with Beau squished between the wall, the shark and then Jester who was happy with her sea otter. 

Dairon leaned against the wall opposite to the children’s rooms with a heaving sigh, a small tired grin on their face as they looked at Marion. Marion shared it, shuffling over to get a little closer into their space and almost forgetting how to breath as the moon highlighted the honey gold of their eyes and the faintest golden freckles across their face. They were blessed by the sun but it seemed that the moon couldn’t help but worship them in that singular moment as well.

She understood the appeal, reaching one hand up to cup their face and getting a quirked eyebrow in response. “Marion?”

“Tonight was wonderful. Truly, I haven’t enjoyed myself with an adult in… quite some time.” She chuckled softly, tracing her thumb under their lower lip now. “I was wondering if I may kiss you?”

Her question seemed to sucker punch all the air from their lungs and they remained breathless for a long moment, not quite pinned against the wall but it was something that could happen if Marion deigned to trap them. She didn’t want to, she wanted Dairon to _want_ to be with her, never against her will and Marion would never make her. 

Then, ever so slightly, those soft honey eyes focused more sharply on Marion’s own golden gaze until Dairon cupped her face and dragged her down to connect their lips in a beautifully, sweet and gentle kiss. Marion melted into their touch, bringing her hands to rest on their hips and her tail wrapped around their leg, keeping them as close as possible to her now that Dairon proved this is where they wanted to be.

Marion liked that because it was exactly where she wanted to be too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairon is inside, attempting to make dinner when there's an ungodly shriek from their six year old child and a burst of tears from Jester that has them running outside. Also, Marion is an angel like always.

Dairon had been inside preparing dinner when a noise they had never heard before in their household reached their ears from outside. Immediately, they dimmed the fire they were using to cook and ran outside to where Jester and Beauregard had been playing while they’d been busy and their heart almost stopped at the sight on the ground before them.

There was Beauregard, her daughter, on the ground with tears streaming down her face as Jester was knelt beside her, her hands frantically flying over Beauregard’s body as if she was trying to comfort her best friend/sister without actually touching her just in case she hurt her further. Dairon could see what was causing the pain, Beauregard’s left arm was cradled against her chest as she sobbed from whatever impact had happened that had broken it. They winced, broken limbs were no fun and a six year old with a broken arm was nigh inconsolable to comfort. 

“Beauregard.” Dairon moved quickly, beside their child in an instant and gently picked her up, cradling her against their chest as Beauregard sobbed into their shirt, trying to burrow further into her chest to seek out any kind of relief from the pain. “What happened? I turned around for a few moments.” They didn’t accuse either child of anything, that would be unfair to anyone before she found out what exactly happened. 

Plus, they were still  _ children _ , Dairon wouldn’t even start training them, either of them, until they were both thirteen as they did recently when Fjord hit that age. 

Jester spoke up, the eleven year old bursting into tears as she explained that it was all her fault, that she had asked Beau to show her a cool trick that Dairon had been teaching her but she slipped and fell onto her side instead. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, please don’t be mad at her.” Tears streaked down Jester’s face and Dairon sighed, pulling the blue tiefling into her side and hugging her to their body. 

“I am not mad at either of you, but we must get her to a healer.” They did have a healing potion on them but was it proper to give it to a child? Would it have an adverse reaction on someone as small as Beauregard? Dairon grimaced and decided against it ultimately. “Follow us Jester, I’ll carry her.” Jester nodded and clung onto Dairon’s monk uniform, following while they carried a whimpering Beauregard in their arms to the nearest cleric or doctor that could help stop the pain that their daughter was currently in.

They didn’t care that they were barefoot and that perhaps it wasn’t a brilliant idea to go running through the streets of Nicodranas so close to sundown with her charges beside her. If anything tried to harm them, they would ruthlessly take down whatever stood between her and her target of the physician’s office. Beauregard clung to her even tighter when her arm was jostled and she hiccuped, the pain and force of her tears truly betraying how upset she was. It would be alright, it would be as soon as they got to where they needed to be.

A small thought struck them, what did the passersby see? A parent dashing through the evening air, barefoot and carrying a sobbing child while another kept pace with them? A mad elf trying to outrun something that seemed to be hunting them? Everything felt so trivial in these moments, they hadn’t a care in the world for anyone else other than the two girls she had to protect from the world until it was time to train them to face it head on. 

Upon arriving, they had to almost beg for Beauregard to be seen. “Please, I don’t have the training necessary to ease her pain. I’ll pay whatever I have to, just please, stop her pain.” The desperation in their voice must have convinced the portly gnome who gingerly ushered them in and directed Dairon to sit down so he could get a better look at the break without them having to put Beau down. 

Gentle prodding was even too much for the young girl to handle, more tears streaming down her face and only serving to put Dairon’s heart in a vice grip. Not to even mention that Jester was just as inconsolable, still perceiving this as her fault because she got “too excited” and didn’t think about how since Beauregard was still rather little, that certain tricks would be unsafe for her. Dairon longed to be able to reassure the small tiefling, longed even more to have their partner there with them because Marion would be able to keep Jester from freezing the room with her still shaky ice magic that had yet to be contained properly.

However, like an angel of good omens, Marion Lavorre came rushing into the room not long after the physician left to get tools to properly set and bind Beau’s arm until they could get a cleric to heal it. (If one wouldn’t come, then the bright side would be that kids were incredibly hardy and Beauregard would heal properly in time which  _ still _ didn’t settle well with her.) “Is everyone alright?” Marion asked frantically after closing the door behind her, making a beeline towards the three of them. 

Dairon could barely get a word out before Jester latched onto her mama, sobbing into her arms about what happened which didn’t help Beauregard’s hysterics but now Dairon could focus on soothing her instead of getting overwhelmed by two crying children. She shot Marion a wordless look, getting a quirk of painted lips in response and then she turned her attention down to Jester and Dairon to Beauregard.

“It will be okay, I know it hurts. I’m sorry that it does, but we will get it set soon and then it might hurt again, we can’t avoid that as much as I wish we could.” They murmured quietly to Beauregard, her daughter still clutching to their top with her good hand and soaking the fabric with her snot and tears. “It’s alright, go ahead and cry, it will help you feel better.” One day, they’d teach her to control her feelings, especially when in a fight or if she ever dedicated herself to the Cobalt Soul like Dairon did, they’d teach her how to use her emotions and such on missions, how to get what she needed from people utilizing them.

But right now, Beauregard was six years old with a broken arm, a sobbing sister and in need of her da, not a teacher. There was time for that later.

Once her arm was set and the flow of tears ebbed, neither Marion nor Jester could coax Beauregard from their arms. Jester was obviously worried that she messed up, that she ruined her friendship with the young girl but Marion rushed to reassure her that sometimes little ones were grumpy for reasons that made no sense to them but the best thing to do was to give her time, let her come back to them on her terms. 

Marion, gods bless her, pressed a kiss to their head upon returning home, softly and sweetly whispered that she’d be in the kitchen when Beauregard was settled. She would finish dinner and keep Jester busy so Dairon could give their full attention to their child. 

“Da?” Beauregard’s voice was strained, her arm cradled to her chest still but now wrapped in a jade green cast. “M’sorry.”

“What for?”

“Making you worry.” Dairon had to close her eyes because this  _ child _ was apologizing to her, for an accident that just happened, not even because they’d been negligent about their safety. It wasn’t her fault, nor was it Jester’s but Beauregard had the biggest heart that they’ve ever seen and hated to make anyone upset.

“Beauregard, listen to me. You have nothing to be sorry for, I am your parent and I am prone to worrying about you.” They started, firmly pressing their hand to the center of Beauregard’s back in order to help ground her and prevent any further panicking. “Accidents happen even under the best of circumstances. I am just glad to have been able to get you help.” Beauregard looked up at them with big, wet eyes that were bluer than any sky could have been before she threw herself at Dairon, hugging tight around their neck with her good arm and keeping the casted one cradled between them.

“Okay.” Beauregard whispered, sniffling again and Dairon used the edge of the shirt to wipe away the tears on her face, already having resigned to washing the shirt anyways. “I’m hungry. Is mama cooking?”

“Yes, she finished dinner that I started. Why don’t we get you cleaned up and changed, then we’ll go see your mother and Jester. Jester might want a hug, so I’m warning you now.” Beauregard giggled, still a little wet but it was nice to know that she had retained her ability to bounce back. “Come on, up we go.” Dairon snuck by her girlfriend and their other daughter, the feeling not even striking them as odd to think of Jester and Beauregard as both of theirs instead of Marion’s and Dairon’s daughters separately.

It finally hit them when Beauregard was dried and dressed in fresh clothes, talking away about what she and mama were gonna do when Dairon took Jester to the Reserve the next day to find a few books. How easy it was for them to all exist as a family unit, how they lived together already but just how far down the rabbit hole Dairon had fallen to think about how they wanted to spend  _ years _ , decades even by Marion’s side with their children. It was an unfamiliar thing, thinking about going a step further than partners, life partners even made them feel something squishy inside of their chest that they hadn’t felt since they truly claimed Beauregard as their child.

Maybe it was an omen, a sign that this was something they should pursue. They had tried to ignore it last time and almost lost one of the best things that had happened to them because they ignored their heart, something they were trained to do. It had proved that sometimes, sometimes it was right, the foul thing had made her get attached to a baby scarred by neglectful parents, then a half-orc that had been claimed by said baby, followed by a tiny blue tiefling and then the most beautiful woman Dairon had ever known.

“Da? Are you okay? You’re quiet.” Beauregard’s observation made them fluster a little but they answered her that they were, indeed, fine. “Daaaa.” She drawled out, flinging her tiny body at Dairon and making them catch her without hurting her arm any further. Beauregard proceeded to pester them, trying to convince them to tell her what they’d been thinking and why they got eerily quiet which was  _ weird _ .

“Oh, you’re the one to talk.” Dairon teased her, implying that Beauregard was a chatterbox and she  _ was _ . Ever since she opened up more to the world around her, she was always learning new words and learning how to use them, talking Dairon’s ears off which was something they encouraged, especially her curiosity and need to know things. It was something only fueled by Jester’s tricks and loud happiness, slowly they were dragging Fjord’s voice from him, something more charismatic than his two friends but something that was him nonetheless.

Poor boy would be getting Beauregard and Jester out of trouble as long as they were friends.

Or they’d be dragging him  _ into _ trouble. Also a very real possibility.

Beauregard made up with Jester easily, happily lending her her newly casted arm to let her best friend paint on it after they had eaten and then settled into the living room. Marion curled up into Dairon’s side, the two of them watching their children mingle and giggle happily on the floor.

The little niggling feeling in the back of their mind wouldn’t leave them but they drowned it out, content to ready whatever book they’d brought home while wrapped up with their partner. It had waited this long to present itself, it could wait a little while longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, let me know what you thought or come yell at me on tumblr @ shadowcrow !


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